Letter: Find a better way to fund education

Michael Fritz

Jul 5, 2016 at 12:01 am | Print View

When our family budget is too low we stop spending or make sure we have the resources to meet our obligations.

An educated populace is the “backbone and future” of our state. Why are we asking university students to pay more tuition and property owners to pay more property tax to support K-12 schools? Is it due to lack of revenue?

The 2016 Legislature passed tax coupling at a cost of $97.6 million and reduced sales tax on manufacturing supplies at a cost of $29 million. These losses in tax revenue accompany a 2013 law that will cut $4 billion in property tax over a decade and $90 million annually in income tax.

Just maybe if the governor and the Iowa House were using plain home budgeting like Iowans do they would realize spending too much on tax breaks is increasing the costs of education to Iowans who cannot afford that increase.

Prior legislatures created revenue streams to support public education: K-12 and regents institutions. This House leadership and governor are wondering why the state universities need more money through a tuition increase and why K-12 schools are financially struggling.

A tuition increase is a tax on Iowans. An increase in property tax for K-12 schools, which will be needed, is a tax increase. The legislature and the governor had the money, but chose to give it away. The governor and house leadership need common economics instructed by the ballot box.